Falling Down
by Plusle
Summary: Crushing on your best friend is angst-ridden enough without the added factor of him being a robot.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: I wrote this 4 years ago and found it again quite recently so first off - it's not finished! But it is 70-80% of the way there. I might continue if it gets enough interest but for now just take it as it is, sorry!**

(Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or rights to Futurama, Matt Groening does.. now onto the story.)

Bender punched in the password and entered his room in _Robot Arms Apartments _after a hard day's work at his intergalactic delivery job with Planet Express. He immediately collapsed against the wall, welcoming the cool hardness against his aching circuits.

"Damn the Professor! He made me clean out his earlobes and wax his legs again today…" (shudder)

What am I! His maid!?

Apart from his regular job, Bender, being the only robot in the facility, was forced to carry out such mundane and often grotesque tasks such as this. The professor was presently in possession of a control panel, which forced Bender do any chore a human asked by the mere press of a button.

"If I was meant to serve, I wouldn't have been built with a personality chip damnit!"

Except for this however, the day had gone relatively smoothly, and he had been able to fit in 5 hours of TV. 4 of them watching _All my Circuits_, his favourite robot sitcom. The rest of the time he had been on the day's deliveries and been involved in several drinking contests with the autopilot.

Unusually, his roommate, Fry, had recently decided to leave work early and abandon his place on the couch (which Bender quickly laid across to annoy anyone who may want to sit down).

'In fact, now that I think about, there's been something up with the meatbag lately… Always rushing around and being all quiet and polite all the time. It's not natural for cryin' out loud! Better see how he's doin'…'

Bender pushed against the automatic sliding door and found himself in a noticeable larger, less crowded room, which was were his roomie lived. The sun had already began to sink behind the distant buildings, so that an odd, orange light was cast over the scene. Empty _slurm_ and beer cans were scattered everywhere, as well as a couple of the robot porno magazines Bender was storing in there. Apart from this, there was a TV, a small bed, a bedside table and a kitchen area complete with fridge, an overhead cabinet, and a basin for washing up. It was relatively poorly equipped as they had needed to sell most of the items to afford the rent.

He found his roommate huddled in front of the huge window, which took up the whole of the adjacent wall. His head was bent down, shoulders arched tight and was oblivious to Bender's presence. Small sobbing noises could be heard. His head was bent into his arms as if to mask the sound, but was failing terribly.

"Hey skintube!" Bender shouted, rousing a startled Fry, "What up?"

Fry quickly wiped his tears on his sleeve and faced his roommate, putting on a forced smile.

"Hey Bender. I was just… you know, watching TV and stuff…"

Bender turned towards the TV set. It was switched off, the plug out of the socket.

"Uh-huh… Hey listen Fry, you okay? You 'aint been yerself recently, and frankly, it's getting annoying! So cheer up!"

'Hehe, if that didn't make him feel better, nothing will!' he assured himself.

Fry looked down for a moment, brushing aside the loose bangs that had fallen into his eyes, then, putting on an even falser smile, looked up again. Being a robot, one smile was as good as any other and Bender felt confident his little pep talk had worked.

"There ya go! I knew that would do it! Problem solved…" Whistling, he strode over to the fridge to get a beer.

While his back was turned, Fry returned his gaze to the sunset and his smile vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: I have the first 6 chapters of this story already written so I'll post as much as I can when I get time over the next few days.**

Later that night, after Fry had gone to sleep, Bender crept back into the room to steal his roommate's wallet for a wager tomorrow. His trademark red jacket was neatly folded on his bedside table, on top of which was a picture of himself, Fry and Leela on a previous mission.

Bender picked up the framed photo, and couldn't help but grin. The three of them were huddled in an embrace and were beaming at the camera. He looked at Fry in the picture and saw his old smile. The one that looked as if had come unbidden, and showed that he was genuinely happy to be with his closest friends. Then he looked towards the one in the bed and his smile disappeared. Even in sleep it seemed, his friend was troubled. What could possibly torment his dreams so?

Placing the photo gently on the bed so as not to wake him, he reached into the jacket pocket and removed the wallet. But somehow, as he opened it and saw the meagre amount of money in there, he couldn't do it. There just wasn't any fun or necessity in it like there used to be, so he replaced the wallet and the photo and silently left the room.

The next morning Fry was out of bed before Bender had woken and was in the kitchen pouring some _Bachelor Chow_ reservedly into one of the few bowls they had.

"Mornin' meatbag!" Bender exclaimed, entering the room.

Fry looked up as he said this and gave a small smile, before returning his attention to his breakfast. Bender disregarded it and walked to the fridge, getting out another beer before sitting down on the only chair and drinking it.

A moment or two later, Fry sat on his bed and began to eat, all the while his gaze fixed on his food, never looking up. Bender, finding the silence uncomfortable, turned on the TV and began to watch _The Scary Door_.

The rest of the morning was spent in much the same way, neither of them really starting a proper conversation and before long, it was time for work. Fry finally lifting his gaze to see the clock met Bender's eyes and hastily looked down again. The smallest hint of pink gracing his cheeks.

"Better go to work…" he said in a small voice, and began to get his things ready for another day of planetary delivery.

"But it's only 8:00!" Bender replied aghast, "Work doesn't start for another half hour, and we always get there late, remember? Means we can miss the meetings and watch TV!"

Fry murmured something about improving himself before walking out the door, leaving a bewildered Bender to promptly drop his beer in shock.

Later that day, when Bender finally arrived at work (an hour after he was supposed to, as per usual) he walked in to find the group in a conference, with one noticeable exception.

"Fry went into the ship a few minutes ago," Amy said, noticing Bender.

"What?! Ah well…" Bender responded, sitting down to join his co-workers.

"…anywho, the doomsday device is to be set up… Hold on! What was I saying before?" The professor rambled.

"You were telling us about today's delivery Professor," Leela replied quickly.

"Ah yes… Now I'll be requiring you to visit a small, fairly unknown planet for today's mission. You'll be heading to Dooplux 8, where the DOOP have set up their latest secret headquarters, and deliver some medical supplies."

"Hold on…," Bender asked cautiously, "What's the catch?"

"Oh… no catch whatsoever… Why would you think there was one?" The Professor narrowed his eyes.

"Er…No reason!"

"Good good…. Now, here's the catch…,"

Everyone inwardly groans.

"The planet's atmosphere is potentially toxic, so for no reason must you remove your helmets. Unless of course you want to get severely poisoned and face the distinct possibility of death… Understood?"

Everyone murmured a yes.

"Oh! Oh!" Zoidberg clicked his pincers sharply in excitement, "Can I come too?! I just love being with friends, and performing potentially fatal operations!"

"No you smelly crab! Now go back into the garbage can where you belong!" Farnsworth snapped back.

"Awww….," said Zoidberg sadly before leaving the room.

The Professor turned back to face the crew.

"Er.. wha? Why are you still here? Go fetch me my 100 metre pizza like I asked!"

"100 metre… pizza?" Amy said quizzically.

"I mean… on with the mission! Yes, I covered that up perfectly…"

"What was dat Professor?" Hermes interjected.

"I said I need to cover up when I'm cold. Now go along all of you!"

Hermes went off the direction of his office to fill out the necessary paperwork for the mission, Amy began making the last checks for the ship to take off, and Bender and Leela entered the ship to get ready for the departure. Soon enough they were given the all clear and the ship took off. Down below on the ground, Amy, covered in engine oil because she didn't reach a safe distance before they left, shook her fist at the departing ship and swore loudly in Chinese.


	3. Chapter 3

Bender had only gone in to check on Fry once since they left. He was being so quiet he feared that they had left him behind at first. But he was there, apparently asleep, in his bunk with his back facing the door. Bender sighed and left him in peace, before returning to the bridge.

As soon as the door opened, Bender called out to Leela.

"Yo meatbag. How long is this gonna take? I got plans and I don't want it to be an overnight trip!"

"Relax Bender, the journey's about 2 hours, and hopefully the delivery itself shouldn't take more than an hour…" Leela replied, not taking her eyes off the screen in front of her.

"Wha?! How come it'll take so long to dump off the supplies?!"

"Mainly because any ship who comes to close to the base is automatically destroyed by the base's lasers. To be on the safe side, we'll park about half an hour away and walk there."

Bender sighed and flopped down onto a chair nearby.

They sat in silence for a few minutes while Leela carefully manoeuvred the ship between oncoming rocks from an asteroid field, until finally, once they were free of the area, Bender asked her a question that had been plaguing his mind for the past few nights.

"Hey Leela, do you know what's up with Fry? He's been actin' all strange and stuff recently, and I can't get anything out of him! Even when I hit him! Think it's a strange disease or somethin'?"

"Well, now that you mention it, there has been something different about him… I just couldn't put my finger on it until now… Maybe he's just going through a phase in his life. I wouldn't worry about it too much though. Before you know it, he'll be back to his lazy self and you guys can go back to your boozing contests again."

"I dunno Leela… He seems different somehow."

"Well, go talk to him about it then! You're his best friend for God's sake."

"Do I have to do everything around here?! Fine fine. I'm goin', you happy now?!" he practically shouted before leaving the room. All this strangeness was making him testy.

As he approached the cabin room they shared together, he calmed down a little. Feeling foolish for getting so worked up, he entered the room, without knocking as per usual, and was disappointed to find Fry in a similar position to half an hour previously. Sighing to himself, he walked over to his bunk and reached out a metal hand to shake him awake.

As soon as his fingers felt the exposed flesh of Fry's shoulder though, he stopped. His friend was trembling beneath his hand, so he pulled back quickly.

"Fry? You awake?"

Fry moved his shoulders a little in reply, and nodded.

Sitting down on his own bunk, Bender was disheartened to see that his friend continued to tremble and kept his eyes shut tight.

"You… feeling cold or somethin' buddy?"

Fry said nothing. Bender took this for a 'yes', so, reaching into a drawer for his own bed sheets (which he never used, being a robot) draped them over Fry, and mistook his silence for pre-sleep. He left the room and returned to the bridge in hushed thought.


	4. Chapter 4

One hour and a half later they had arrived at Dooplux 8, and Fry had finally emerged from his cabin, eyes slightly bloodshot, but wearing another false smile nonetheless. He greeted his friends with forged enthusiasm, then went to the hold to prepare to unload the crates full of medical supplies.

As the other two joined him, Leela and Fry put on their flight suits and oxygen tanks (Bender not needing one as he doesn't breathe) and stood on the portion of the hold that would lower them onto the planet's surface.

"Helmets on. And lowering in 3, 2, 1." Leela said in her official, captain voice.

She pressed the button on the hold's side and they felt the floor beneath them descend. The air around them was murky, with a slight tinge of green, and they stumbled over a few rocks before finally managing to pull the dolly's and crates into suitable, and easy to carry positions.

"Everyone okay?" she asked. The other two nodded as she checked her own, and Fry's suit for leaks, but found none.

"Good then, let's go. We'll continue forwards in a northerly direction. If I piloted the ship correctly, we shouldn't have to make any detours, and just continue in a direct route."

Fry and Bender nodded again, although it was hard to tell through the gloom, and the three of them started off, carrying the crates.

Neither Leela or Fry talked during the journey, as they were both trying to conserve oxygen, but Bender reminisced freely, telling them another of his scandals, or what he called, "Free Enterprise".

Occasionally, Bender would catch Fry throwing him sidelong looks, but every time he faced him, Fry would look away and pretend he was occupied in something else. His feet for instance.

Bender frowned at this, puzzled as to why his friend was being so distant with him. He thought back over the past few days, and didn't recall doing anything that would normally get him upset. Stealing his wallet (while he was still awake), choking him, or even trying to crush his dreams by retorting back during arguments. In fact, they had barely exchanged a word these past few days.

Bender was broken from thought, as Leela's voice cut through the silence.

"We're here...,"

From up front, the base looked like a colossal wall no different from the rest of the planet's

rocky exterior. But closer inspection revealed that a faint rectangular outline was visible, with an inscription to it's right. "Delivery Entrance," in small, roughly hewn letters. Leela walked up to it, and began inspecting the surrounding rock for any sign of some sort of button or device which might allow them passageway.

From above of them, a voice, distorted slightly by a metallic rumbling could be heard.

"State the password please,"

Leela checked the crate for the delivery number, and underneath in neat, typed letters was a message of some sorts. Leela read it out.

"Alohamora,"

The sound of metal on metal was heard, and the crew stepped backwards as the rock before them opened way to a passage in the craggy rockface.

"Proceed forwards a couple of hundred metres, then take the elevator on your left to the bridge and converse with the person you see there to drop off the delivery. Have a nice day,"

A click came from the voice as it was switched off, and then silence.

Bender removed a beer from his chest compartment, drained it whole and tossed the contents into the nearby undergrowth before facing his two crewmembers.

"You guys just gonna stand there all day or what?! Come on, i got better things i could be doin'..."

And with that he turned and walked steadily into the darkening tunnel.

"If it's a DOOP base, that means that Zapp's likely to be there...," Leela groaned and followed Bender.

Fry remained outside for a few more seconds, before sighing, and following his comrades.


	5. Chapter 5

As the three Planet Express employees walked down the ever-dark passageway, a strange light began to shine ahead of them, reflecting their faces. Bender reached the end first and saw that it was an electronic lamp sticking into the side of the rock; illuminating the fork in the path they had come to. The left side would lead them to the elevator. Turning to the left with a small twirl and salute he continued and the other two could hear his feet clanking against the ground after he had disappeared from sight.

Leela stopped once she arrived at the fork and waited for Fry to catch her up. Giving him a reassuring smile, she was sad to see he kept the customary sad expression on, briefly attempted to look happy for her, before the look faded into oblivion once more and he turned back towards the ground.

Disheartened to what she considered one of her best friends behaviour, she tried to uncover the source of his sorrow.

"It's not like you Fry," she said quietly.

He looked up, a little confused.

"What isn't?"

"To be so glum all the time. What's wrong?"

His head drooped and he wistfully replied 'Nothing'.

"That's what I mean! Is your problem so great that you can't even share it with your best friend?" she cupped his face in her hands in an attempt to make him look at her. A few weeks ago, he would have wanted nothing more than this sort of attention from Leela, but after constant rejection, he had given up.

"I can't… I… It's complicated…," he ended lamely, trying to pull away from her grip.

"Well then, if you can't talk to me about it, then why not Bender?" A brief look crossed his face that was somewhere between longing and forlornness but it passed as quickly as it had come.

"I can't. It's something I can't share with anyone…" his voice drifted off towards the end so she had to listen carefully to register it.

"I just don't understand what could be so bad that would make you act like this! You… you're supposed to be the cheerful one, always a smile on your face and something to say!" She was beginning to get frustrated with him.

"… We should finish that delivery," he whispered and walked in the direction Bender had left, leaving Leela feeling annoyed and concerned at the same time.

"Fry…" she sighed, before following him disappear into the darkness.

The next light they saw revealed the location of the elevator they were seeking, Bender already standing next to it in mock anger.

"Will youse twos hurry it up?! Come on…" although there was a frown on his face, it softened slightly when he saw Fry's demeanour.

Saying nothing, the three of them piled into the elevator. There were no buttons on the wall so they waited for the doors to close smoothly behind them, before the elevator set off jerkily, nearly throwing Bender off his feet. Fry instinctively reached out to help his friend, but withdrew his hand when Bender righted himself, tentatively hiding it inside his pocket.

Bender, completely unaware of the recent transaction, whistled merrily to himself and waited for the ride to be over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes - ****Thanks Fender lover for the review! Glad you like it so far! Unfortunately this is the last finished chapter I have to put up but if it gets interest I'll try and finish.  
**

An intercom positioned in one of the top corners of the elevator announced they had arrived at the bridge, and the doors once again slid open to allow them passage.

Kif was seated in one of the chairs scattered around the room and was idly watching the walls before he noticed the newcomers.

"Hello Captain Leela," he smiled, "did you manage to bring the package through safely?"

She held out the box as well as a couple of forms for Kif to sign, signifying they had achieved their goal and could get paid. Fry loitered in the elevator, ready to leave while Bender slipped behind Kif removing something secretly from his compartment. After the forms were signed, Leela saluted to Kif and headed back to the elevator.

"Oh Captain," he said sheepishly, "before you go, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment…," he trailed off, and sighing she turned around remembering the last time he had spoken with her; a two hour conversation on Brannigan's habits.

While the two of them talked, Bender returned to the elevator holding something in his hand.

"Hey Fry! Look what your ol' pal Bender found!" He unclasped his hands and held them out towards Fry.

Fry, looking up for the first time since they had arrived at the Bridge, saw that Bender was holding out what looked to be an anchovy packet. Eyes widening, he turned to Bender in shock.

"B-but, how did you… Where did you find this Bender?"

Bender smiled, his friend had temporarily regained a little of his former self, "Open it!"

He passed the package to Fry, who could see on closer inspection that it was not an actual anchovy packet, rather it was something Bender had made himself. A little let down, he opened it up and a natural smile came to him. Just like a locket, inside was a picture of himself and Bender posing for the camera happily.

Fry choked back a sob and eyes watering faced his friend. True, it was a makeshift gift clumsily put together in a few minutes, but it was a show of affection of some sort from his friend, which made him feel a little better.

"Bender i…, I don't know what to say…"

"Sure ya do, I'm great and all that Jazz, right?" he laughed.

Fry smiled meekly and took one last look at the photo before pocketing it.

"Thank you,"

"Shh! Don't mention it. Seriously. It's not good for a guy's reputation to be seen giving gifts. People will think I've gone soft you know?" he ruffled Fry's hair and called to Leela.

"Hey! Meatbag! We gotta go, remember?!"

Leela, glad of the interruption turned to face Bender, "Coming! Sorry Kif, have to get back…," but she didn't look sorry at all.

"Oh… Alright," he said a little sad, but waved them goodbye.

As Leela re-entered the lift she noticed a warmer look on Fry's face; he was gazing off into the distance slightly, a little blush on his face and grasping something tightly in one of his hands. Bender was completely turned away from him, tapping his foot on the ground in annoyance at Leela, but she knew that Fry's best friend had come through for him in his darkest hour, whatever was happening to him.

Once the elevator had docked back on the ground floor, they headed back through the tunnel, following the lights set out. Just as they reached the fork however, something made them stop dead. The entire tunnel began to shake slightly and bits of debris fell from the cave roof. Leela stepped back in alarm and recognized laser fire from outside the cave. They were under attack!

"Hurry! We have to get out of here, if we can reach the jungle and shelter…" she began to run out of the cave and signalled for the others to follow her. Bender nodded at Fry and the two of them began to run.

The automatic sliding wall opened before Leela and she made a run for the cover of the trees, waiting for her friends to join her. Just as Fry was reaching the end of the tunnel however, he realised the anchovy packet had fallen out of his pocket. Stopping, he checked around for it, but couldn't see it anywhere.

'Must've dropped it at the fork,' he thought and began to turn back.

"Fry! Where ya goin' buddy?" Bender shouted to him.

"I-I'll catch up with you! Go on!" he panted, breaking into a run.

Bender looked concerned at first, but joined Leela outside the cave.

'I know it's around here somewhere…" Fry thought to himself searching the fork. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of something shiny on the other side of the fork. Steadying himself as the cave rocked once again, he reached forward and grabbed it. The roof fell in on top of him.


End file.
